Connectors of numerous types have been widely used in a variety of applications including machinery, electronics, and fiber optics. Typical connectors comprise a male member forming a first connector member which inserts into or mates with a female member forming a second connector member.
Many applications require extremely close tolerances between connecting members. This is particularly true of fiber optic connectors. Fiber optic connectors typically comprise two connector halves. Each half contains a connector portion, typically either a plug or a receptacle, which is used for aligning mating optical fibers or an optical fiber to an electro-optic device. The plug and receptacle have a common axis along which the fiber optic signal is transmitted. When the connector portions are misaligned, the axis of the plug relative the axis of the receptacle is offset, resulting in signal attenuation or elimination.
In prior art connectors, the connector portions are typically joined to the connector half in cantilever fashion at points located farthest away from the mating point. Thus, if one of the connector portions is misaligned, the misalignment can only be corrected by pivoting of at least one of the portions at the point farthest from the mating junction. This results in the greatest bending moment being applied against the sidewalls connector portions. This can result in bending or distortion of the members.
Compliant structures provide for the automatic correction of misaligned structures without the need for feedback. See "Using Compliance In Lieu of Sensory Feedback For Automatic Assembly" (1977), Doctor of Science Thesis by Samuel Hunt Drake of M.I.T., Cambridge, Mass., which illustrates the use of self correcting compliant structures in mechanical systems. Drake discloses the use of such structures in manipulators used in the assembly of an alternator and power tools.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,125,849, entitled "Connector Guide Means", assigned to AMP Incorporated, assignee of the present invention, discloses a connector guide means for a fiber optic connector. This patent illustrates an electronic package which includes a mounting structure which may comprise a printed circuit board carrying circuit traces to electronic components such as logic and memory devices. The device includes a connector half having a pair of signal ports suitably interconnected to components which convert optical to electrical signals and electrical to optical signals. The optical signal ports disclosed in the '849 patent are not self correcting if misaligned.
It would be desirable to provide a self-aligning connector or device which could be connected to another connector or device. Such a self-aligning connector could function to correct for connector portion misalignment, thereby assuring signal transmission with a minimum of attenuation and stress imposed on the connector components. It would be further desirable to provide a self-aligning device which can eliminate translational and angular errors that occur during mating of connectors. Such a self-aligning mechanism could be adapted for a wide variety of applications including use in electrical and fiber optic connector systems.